Two Brush Fires West of Big Pine

[D.A. Wright]

News articles from our local FM station - newest to oldest:

http://www.sierrawave.tv/artman/publish/article_761.shtml

http://www.sierrawave.tv/artman/publish/article_757.shtml

http://www.sierrawave.tv/artman/publish/article_756.shtml

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Last night, after dark, I could still see some pinpoints of lights on the mountainside and down on the valley floor closer to my home. Not as many as last night.

While I was outside, a long line of hotshot crew trucks, CDF trucks and out of town fire trucks went in to begin their shift; later another long line of similar vehicles came out to end their day.

Containment date is predicted to be tomorrow, July 11th.

11 people were hurt, as of radio news is giving me right now. Several were airlifted to the burn center in Fresno.

Six residences were lost, 27 outbuildings also destroyed. This figure given by Nancy Upham of the Forest Service.

All campgrounds affected and evacuated are still closed. Glacier Lodge, Big Pine Canyon homes, Bernasconi School are still under mandatory evacuation.

Cyrstal Geyser water company in Olancha has donated 18 pallets of 1-gallon jugs of drinking water for Independence residents. Boil orders are still in place due to the collapse of the roof of the town's water reservoir.

A low pressure trough is to come through starting today. Yesterday in Mammoth, it was clear. As I was leaving town, I looked north and saw a big thunderhead over the Mono Lake region. It was clear when I got into the Owens Valley, but last night, popcorn clouds were forming over the Sierra. This morning it is cloudy, a good indication that thunderstorms will form later during the heat of the day.
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D.A. Wright

[desertdryad]

Hi, David:

I just got back into town in the Bay Area, having been in way north in the Sierra this weekend. I had no clue about the fires until reading your posts.

YIKES!

I am glad you & your family are o.k. And, of course, thanks for all the information.

I am so saddened by the damage to all that land. I wish well on all those hard at work containing the fires!! I have no idea what they must go through!

- Desert Dryad

[Scoutaya]

On the evening of Monday, July 9, I attended a public meeting about the Inyo Complex fires in Independence. Representatives from virtually every agency that has participated in the firefighting efforts attended and spoke. Noticeably absent was the BLM although they were referred to and commended by those who took charge.

I attended because I love the area personally, I represent a national organization of wilderness guides and I was in the county. I asked the Supervisor of Inyo National Forest if the campgrounds in Big Pine Creek Canyon and outside Independence had been affected and if he knew when or if these and the many trailheads in the area would reopen.

Currently the access roads are closed and according to him will remain closed for another week or two. It is a high priority of Inyo NF to reopen these areas and they will not do so until they determine that it is safe. The only campground that was destroyed was Oak Creek which is the lowest one up Independence Creek.

UPDATE: Heard a report that the Glacier Lodge road up Big Pine Creek reopened at 10AM today.

Although the fire is now more than 70% contained and no longer a threat to Big Pine, Independence or Fort Independence, small fires continue to burn up on the slopes. These areas are steep and primarily roadless. We were told that they will be allowed to burn themselves out in the rocks. It is too dangerous to send firefighters up there. Some fire crews remain in the area and will keep a watch on conditions until there are no more fires.

Driving north on Hwy 395 after the meeting, I pulled over just outside of town to stare in amazement at the red glowing lights, the fires, up in the now dark hills. There were a number of them burning in that canyon. When I got up to where I could see into the Big Pine Creek area, I only saw one fire burning on the hillside.

Most who attended the meeting were residents of the area and some of them were extremely angry at what they felt was a slow response, especially in the early hours, when the fires were still quite small. We were told that while it may have appeared this way to them that the conditions on the day the fires started were such that it would not have been humanly possible to control the spread of the flames. This is the driest year that any of the public land managers can remember.

Normally in a wildfire there is a 40% probability that an ember carried on the wind will ignite a fire when it lands. In this fire, they witnessed a 100% probability. Embers carried on the wind for a mile sparked new fires. A single sagebrush bush could send flames 40 feet vertically into the air and under windblown conditions extend flames more than 100 feet horizontally. This they said was the cause of the burned streaks across Hwy 395 north of Independence.

Of huge concern for Independence is the town water supply. The primary reservoir is a concrete and stone structure with a wooden roof. The roof burned and then collapsed into the reservoir contaminating the water. Residents have been issued a boil order for all tap water used for cooking or drinking. There are 3 tanker trucks in town dispensing potable water and there was a huge donation of drinking water by Crystal Geyser that was distributed by volunteers. Temporary steel tanks are coming from Bakersfield to replace the reservoir until it can be repaired or replaced. The process could take days to weeks. In the meantime, Independence does not have a safe supply of tap water.

Also of interest to me was that we were given yet another tally of statistics regarding the start of the fires. We were told that early on the afternoon of Friday 7/6 there were 15 lightning strikes between Mammoth and Lone Pine and that 12-13 of them started fires. Late that afternoon the largest of the fires grew from 2000 acres to 10,000 acres within an hour. At one place 9 firefighters were trapped, one fire engine destroyed and another damaged. 3 of the firefighters were treated for burns and all for smoke inhalation. They have all survived. There were no human deaths in the Inyo Complex Fire and there was some property destroyed. We were not given details about this although there was a woman present whose ranch burned down.

I send prayers out to all who have been affected. I thank everyone who has posted here and thanks for the photos.

Blessed be... Scout

[D.A. Wright]

Just after noon it started sprinkling here in Big Pine. I was on my way to Bishop, where I hit intermittant sprinkles to near Keough's.

When I returned home, the road block in front of my home is now gone. I'm on my way now with camera in hand to see what I can see (the road block may be simply moved farther up the road). Updates and photos later.

US395 is now closed in the June Lake area, CA158 (the June Lake Loop) is being used as a detour. A fire west of the highway is the cause.

There is a large fire going at the dump in Bishop just after 2PM. Appears that the brush pile is on fire, from what I could see from the highway.
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D.A. Wright

[Scott]

[ncsilk]

My sister, who is your neighbor, just sent me your site. We moved from Big Pine 3 years ago. Our kids and of course my sis are right there. We've been very worried. I appreciate your documenting everything so well. Will stay tuned.

Li

[D.A. Wright]

I drove up into the fire area this afternoon. Quite impressive, to say the least. Impressive in a bad way, but also impressive as to the the barriers the fire crews had to deal with.

I first drove up Sugarloaf Road to Bernasconi School, the road turning off Glacier Lodge Road a bit more than a mile from US395. Fire burned the north side of Sugarloaf Road. Lush groves of heavy trees and undergrowth contrasted with the charred ruins on the other side of the narrow two-lane road. The school was spared and school personnel were back at the school - along with several fire crews from CDF and CCC. The wind was blowing, clouds of ash blighted the scene.


Blowing ash with the Sierra Nevada as a backdrop.


Burned locust groves along Sugarloaf Road. Behind me, the scene was lush as fire did not touch there.


Bernasconi School from Arc Road, view southward.

I then drove up Arc Road, which is the dirt road that runs into Baker Creek canyon. The entire area is charred and I spotted several trees and downed trees still smoldering. The creek bubbled noisily through the blackened and sterilized earth.


Sort of ironic ...


The area along Arc Road was a moonscape.


Baker Creek bubbling forth through the charred landscape.


Arc Road where the maintained portion ends at the Inyo National Forest boundary.


Looking back down from Arc Road to Big Pine, the tall Union 76 gas station sign at the corner of Crocker Street (which becomes Glacier Lodge Road at the edge of town) is visible in the center.

Driving up Glacier Lodge Road, you leave the fire zone briefly. The hydroelectric powerplant had a close call, but was about a quarter mile out of the fire zone. Reaching the top of the switchback on Glacier Lodge Road, everything to your right (north) is burned as you continue up the canyon. When you approach the 2-story home midway up the canyon, the burned area abruptly stops. This coincides with what the Forest Service officer told me, that the fire began near the house.


This tree was spared by the flames while sagebrush all around it burned. The 2-story house is visible in the background.


The western edge of the fire.

Above the house, the canyon remains as it was - green and lush. All campgrounds appeared open - their gates were open and some campsites were occupied. Upper Sage Flat campground had the camp host in place. The stables had all their mules back in their corrals and several cowboys were outside talking.

Glacier Lodge was green and lovely - a refreshing change after driving through the charred and dusty fire zone previously.


The lovely pond at Glacier Lodge had a few people fishing around it.

Coming back down the hill, I drove to the siphon for the penstock for the hydroelectric powerplant. The small building, which I assumed had burned in the fire, stood unscorched - by only inches. Charred stumps of sagebrush stood less than a foot from the building on two sides.

Standing at the siphon, the entire area is visible. To the north, Warren Bench - usually lush with meadow grass, is charred and the dirt road that runs through it stands out starkly against the black valley floor. The power line that comes up the hillside continues on up the canyon to feed electricity to the houses and Glacier Lodge. Many poles were missing - only a burned stump and the crossbeams of the former power poles dangling from the wires. Some poles were burned in the middle and fell to the ground, wires laying through the sage and over boulders.


One of numerous power poles that were burned or destroyed.


The siphon for the penstock for the hydroelectric plant. You can see the burned stump of a sagebrush at the base of the building. There were others on two sides of the buildings within inches of the wall.


Looking north at Warren Bench from the siphon.


Driving back down the road from the siphon back to Glacier Lodge Road. Visible in the background is the area burned in the Fuller Fire in 2002, now grown back over with grasses and small sagebrush. Soon the area just burned will also recover.

The fire camp at Mendenhall Park is still full and in full operation. I saw many fire trucks parked here and there and many fire chiefs parked in strategic places, watching for any flareups.

Many people have worked around the clock to save Big Pine and the homes and facilities nearby. My hat is off to these folks, a big THANK YOU!! goes out to them from myself and my fellow Piners.
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D.A. Wright

[desert_rat]

First a little history..... I grew up in Big Pine. I have family that live there now, and I actually spent the first six years of my life at Glacier Lodge, before my folks sold it and moved into town. (absolutley broke my heart when the lodge burned several years ago). I heard about the fires from my family, but was unclear of the extent of the fire and desperately searched the net to find if someone had posted the pictures. It has put me at ease to be able to see the extent of the damage the fire has caused, and eased fears of not knowing exactly how close the fire was to town. I, in fact, have family that lives in the trailer park. (I grew up on Crocker street, actually.) So... thank you again for keeping all of us Big Pine-ites, updated with your photos and words, it has truely meant a lot to me, and I am sure many others!!!!!

[desertdryad]

[D.A. Wright]

[Marty]

The evening and next day of the Inyo Complex Fire that impacted Independence, The Crystal Geyser water bottling company delivered truck loads of bottled water to the residents of Indy. The next day people found cases of gallons of water on their doorsteps. I was impressed when I heard this example of neighbor helping neighbor.Marty G. of Aberdeen.

[greatbasinguide]

David, thanks for the photos. It appears that aside from the structures involved, and the riparian areas, the fire was mostly in the sage, pretty fast moving I bet it was.

I know that often people are frustrated with response times, but when an area gets hammered with lightning, the fire fighters are scrambling. If you stop 10 fires but one gets away, then you are the bad guy.

Sort of like being a hockey or soccer goalie.